SPECT radiopharmaceuticals for imaging chronic inflammatory diseases in the last decade

In the recent years, many radiopharmaceuticals have been described for the diagnosis of inflammatory chronic diseases. Several peptides, receptor ligands and monoclonal antibodies have been radiolabelled, allowing in-vivo visualization of inflammatory processes at a cellular and molecular level. The labelling of cytokines such as interleukin-1, interleukin-2, interleukin-12 and MCP-1 has facilitated the identification of inflamed synovia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, active Crohn's disease, vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques and other targets. The possibility of using monoclonal antibodies against TNF-α, CD2, CD3, CD4 and anti-selectin has not only allowed the localization of inflamed sites but had also a significant impact in helping the selection of patients who can benefit from biological therapies. Regarding radiolabelled peptides, it is important to highlight the increasing use of somatostatin analogues targeting somatostatin receptors in inflammatory diseases, particularly for rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren syndrome and autoimmune thyroid diseases. In the present review we describe the state of the art of SPECT radiopharmaceuticals to image chronic inflammatory diseases.